The effect of needle type (25 G Sprotte vs. Quincke) in spinal anesthesia on the incidence of transient neurologic syndrome: A randomized clinical trial.

Background and Aims: Transient neurologic syndrome (TNS) is a postoperative pain in the back and buttock that can occur after spinal anesthesia. The spinal needle design may have an impact on the occurrence of TNS. We decided to compare the incidence of TNS and related factors between two spinal needle types. Methods: In this randomized clinical trial, 150 patients aged 18-60 years and American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I who underwent lower abdomen or lower extremity surgeries with spinal anesthesia and supine position were enrolled. They were randomly divided into two groups (25 G Quincke or Sprotte needle) with 0.5% bupivacaine (12.5 mg). After the operation, the patients were asked to report any pain in the lower back, buttock, and thigh areas. A Visual Analog Scale (VAS) was also used to record the severity of the pain. Results: Overall, 45 patients developed TNS. Twenty-nine patients in the Sprotte group (38.7%) and 16 patients in the Quincke group (21.3%) developed TNS (p = 0.75). More patients in the Sprotte group (25.3%) had severe pain (VAS score of 8-10) when compared with the Quincke group (6.7%). There was no significant difference in TNS symptoms duration between the two groups. In about half of patients (51.9%) in the Sprotte group and 57.3% of patients in the Quincke group, the symptoms resolved after 2-3 h. Conclusion: Although the incidence of TNS did not differ significantly, patients for whom a Sprotte spinal needle had been used had more severe pain. This suggests that the Quincke needle caused less severe pain.

Comparison of topical nifedipine with oral nifedipine for treatment of anal fissure: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Medical sphincterotomy has gained popularity as a treatment for anal fissure. Calcium channel blockers in topical forms could also be appropriate with low adverse effects. OBJECTIVES: This was a prospective randomized controlled trial to compare topical and oral nifedipine in the treatment of chronic anal fissure. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A prospective randomized controlled trial was conducted at two centers of Shahed University. One hundred and thirty patients with chronic anal fissure aged 18 to 60 years managed in our clinics were included in this study. The patients were randomly divided into two groups. Sixty-five patients received topical nifedipine (TN) and the same number received oral nifedipine (ON). RESULTS: Ulcer healing occurred in 43 (73.33%) of topical nifedipine group compared to 29 (49.5%) patients in oral nifedipine, which was significantly different (P < 0.05). Side effects such as headache and flushing in oral nifedipine group were more prevalent than topical nifedipine, which was statistically different. Recurrence rates were the same after six months of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Although oral nifedipine can reduce symptom and signs of anal fissure, topical nifedipine has a superior role for anal fissure treatment with higher healing rate and lower side effects.

The Effect of Pharyngeal Packing during Nasal Surgery on the Incidence of Post Operative Nausea, Vomiting, and Sore Throat.

INTRODUCTION: Nausea and vomiting after ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgery is one of the most common and notable problems facing anesthesiologists in this area. This study was conducted to determine the effect of a pharyngeal pack on the severity of nausea, vomiting, and sore throat among patients after ear, pharynx, and throat surgeries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This randomized clinical study was performed in 140 patients (61 men and 79 women; age range, 20-40 years) who had undergone nasal surgery in 2010. Patients were divided into two groups: the first group were treated using a pharyngeal pack (case group) and the second group were managed without a pharyngeal pack (control group). Statistical analysis was performed using the Chi-square test and the Mann-Whitney U test. SPSS software was used for data analysis. RESULTS: The mean severity of nausea and vomiting in the two groups was 2.057, 1.371 and 1.100, respectively, with no significant differences between groups. However, the mean severity of sore throat was 1.714 in the group with the pharyngeal pack and 1.385 in the group without pharyngeal pack (P=0.010). CONCLUSION: Not only does a pharyngeal pack in ENT surgery not reduce the extent and severity of nausea and vomiting, but it also increases the severity of sore throat in patients when leaving the recovery room and discharging hospital.

Intraperitoneal bupivacaine effect on postoperative nausea and vomiting following laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) after laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) has multifactorial etiology. Pain and use of opioids are among the important factors. OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of intrapritoneal (IP) injection of bupivacaine on PONV. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a double-blind randomized clinical trial, conducted on 66 patients aged 20-60, ASA I or II, candidates for LC. Patients were randomly assigned to two groups. Bupivacaine group received 20 mL bupivacaine 0.25% in the gallbladder bed, before and after cholecystectomy and the control group did not. The incidence of nausea and postoperative pain intensity was measured with Visual analogue scale (VAS) at 1, 2, 3 and 4 hours after operation, at rest and when coughing and changing positions. Nausea and vomiting occurrence were assessed at the same times. RESULTS: There were no demographic data differences between groups. No differences were found between the two groups, in terms of incidence of nausea and vomiting. Furthermore, both groups were similar with respect to opioid consumption, during four hours post-operation. CONCLUSIONS: Intraperitoneal bupivacaine administration at the beginning and end of laparoscopic cholecystectomy reduced only visceral and shoulder pains at the 4th postoperative hour, but had no effect on reducing neither PONV, nor opioid demand, during the first four postoperative hours.

Frequency of all types of colorectal tumors in the patients referred to selected hospitals in tehran.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide which is not extensively researched in Iran. OBJECTIVES: The present study aims to investigate the epidemiologic characteristics of CRC in patients referred to selected hospitals of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this descriptive-analytic study 218 patients with colorectal cancer were investigated. Data were collected via reviewing recorded pathologic results of patients of these hospitals which then were analyzed by univariant methods. RESULTS: Among 218 patients, 140 (64.2%) were male and 78 (35.8%) were female. Of all patients, 132 (60.0%) suffered from tumors in rectum; 38 (17.4%) in sigmoid; 12 (5.5%) in descending colon; 10 (4.6%) in transverse colon and 26 (11.9%) in ascending colon and cecum. Tumors were well differentiated in 134 patients (61.5%), moderately in 62 cases (28.4%) and poorly differentiated in 22 patients (10.1%). There was no significant difference between males and females regarding the location and degree of tumor differentiation. CONCLUSIONS: Regarding high prevalence of colorectal cancer in Iran and potential environmental and genetic factors, surveillance must be considered for this disease. Its risk factors such as diet, life style and low physical activity should be evaluated and screening should start at younger ages.

Minimum appropriate dose of lidocaine with a fixed dose of sufentanil epinephrine used for spinal anesthesia in caesarian section.

BACKGROUND: Caesarian section is a commonplace surgery in females for which spinal anesthesia is the preferred method. The local anesthetic medications used in the surgery are often associated with complications such as nausea, vomiting, dyspnea, hypotension, and bradycardia. In the present study, we decreased the dose of the anesthetic drug and added an opioid instead. OBJECTIVES: We tried to find an appropriate combination of medications required for optimal anesthesia with minimum complications. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred twenty six candidates for C/S with first and second class ASA aged 18-35 years were randomly divided into three groups. All patients received sufentanil (2.5 µg) and epinephrine (100 µg) doses but the lidocaine doses were respectively 50 mg, 60 mg and 75 mg in the groups 1, 2 and 3. Complications including hypotension, bradycardia, dyspnea, nausea, vomiting, and anesthesia quality were recorded and statistically analyzed. RESULTS: The level of anesthesia was significantly different between groups. By reducing the lidocaine dose, patients with anesthesia level under the nipple increased but the surgeon and the patient were satisfied with the results. Nausea, vomiting, and dyspnea was degraded by decreasing the lidocaine dose especially in the 50 mg group. The need to use ephedrine was directly associated with the lidocaine. However, the need to use atropine was not significantly different between groups. Pruritus was not significantly different as well. CONCLUSIONS: It seems that reducing the lidocaine dose, when combined with sufentanil, decreases most complications of spinal anesthesia such as hypotension, dyspnea, nausea, and vomiting while preserving anesthesia quality.

Analgesic efficacy of intra-articular morphine after arthroscopic knee surgery in sport injury patients.

BACKGROUND: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tearing is a common injury among football players. The present study aims to determine the best single-dose of intra-articular morphine for pain relief after arthroscopic knee surgery that, in addition to adequate and long-term analgesia, leads to fewer systemic side effects. METHODS: This clinical trial was conducted on 40 ASA-I athletes. After surgery, all participants received an injection of 20 cc of 0.5% intra-articular bupivacaine. In addition, the first control group received a saline injection and 5, 10 and 15 mg of morphine were respectively injected into the joints of the second, third and fourth groups by use of Arthroscopic equipment before the Arthroscopic removal. The amount of pain based on VAS at 1, 2, 4, 6 and 24 hours after surgery, duration of analgesia and the consumption of narcotic drugs were recorded. RESULTS: The VAS scores in the fourth, sixth and twenty-fourth hours after surgery showed a significant difference between the study groups. The average time to the first analgesic request from the bupivacaine plus 15 mg morphine group was significantly longer than other groups and total analgesic requests were significantly lower than other groups. No drowsiness complications were observed in any of the groups in the first 24 hours after injection. CONCLUSIONS: Application of 15 mg intra-articular morphine after Arthroscopic knee surgery increases the analgesia level as well as its duration (IRCT138902172946N3).

The effect of topical nifedipine in treatment of chronic anal fissure.

Chronic anal fissure is the most common cause of anal pain associated with internal anal sphincter hypertonia. Reduction of hypertonocity is a special treatment for fissure healing. For this purpose chronic anal fissures were conventionally treated by anal dilatation or by lateral sphincterotomy. However, both of these methods may cause a degree of incontinence in some patients. The uptake of medical therapies that create a reversible chemical sphincterotomy has recently become widespread. The aim of this prospective clinical trial study was to assess the effectiveness of nifedipine in healing anal fissure, a calcium channel blocker that reduces sphincter pressure. A single-blind randomized comparative trial was setup to compare traditional treatment with stool softeners and 2% lidocaine cream against 0.5% nifedipine cream for 4 weeks. 110 patients were included in this study, 60 patients in the nifedipine group and 50 patients in the control group and the therapeutic outcome and side effects were recorded. Healing had occurred in 70% of patients in the nifedipine group and in 12% of patients in the control group after 4 weeks treatment (P < 0.005). Recurrence of symptoms occurred in four of healed patients in the nifedipine group and three patients in the control group in two months. The final result of nifedipine application after 12 months follow up was recurrence in 11 patients (26.19%). Mild headache occurred in four patients (6.6%) of the nifedipine group. Patients in the nifedipine group showed significant healing and relief from pain compared with patients in the control group. Recurrence rate with nifedipine use in spite of control of predisposing factors such as constipation was significant. Another finding was low complication rate with this treatment.